Chord Mojo - FPGA technology for $600.

I just bought one of these and it is still burning in but it sounds very close to the well-regarded Chord Hugo. It's a small black box meant for portable audio use but you can use splitters and use it as a DAC. It plays all PCM and DSD formats and sounds excellent so far. I am working on a review and John Atkinson tells me that the new Stereophile for February has a review written by him. Very solid machined black box about the size of a pack of cigarettes. It has a color coded power on button that indicates sampling rates and two buttons for +/- on volume. The buttons are cool little translucent spheres.

Being portable it tales an optical, coax, and Micro B input and then has two 1/8" headphone outputs...so not exactly a rack mount component but can be used as one.

The cheapest way to get Robert Watt's reference class FPGA technology!

 

I thought long and hard about that one before I grabbed a Rega DAC-r. What were you using before you got it? I ended up basing my purchase of of what the Chord Qute EX sounded like as I was unable to set up an audition of the Mojo. Don't keep us in suspense

 

Subscribed. This is leading my list right now due to price and headphone output. I hope you enjoy it!

 

I got this to be my stereo for the "road". I travel a lot as a management consultant.

At home I have the iFi DAC, several hirez players, and my new favorite the LH Labs Pulse Infinity X which is amazing.

As for the Rega, it is quite decent but the Qute EX is older Chord tech and the Hugo, Hugo TT, and Mojo have the new FPGA chips and that is frankly all the difference in the world.

 

I have been listening a lot this morning and it is really special. I am comfortable very strongly recommending this to you. It is beyond a good audio bargain...it's really bit of a "game changer" on DACs and I don't use that term lightly.

 

Great to hear! It's becoming harder and harder to justify spending much more than the Mojo in the fast moving DAC market.

 

I believe the EX uses the same manufactuerer for the FPGA chips, if not the same chip. I read somewhere that they slightly changed the programming. I would love to know more about who makes their chips and the difference in programming between the models. I've always been a fan of Chord gear, especially their DACs but they have almost a mysticism built around their FPGA tech. Though given the sound they obtain I guess it is understandable. If you get a chance to talk with someone from Chord perhaps you could obtain those answers.

I've been thinking my endgame DAC would be something like the Ygdrrasil or a mid level Chord. I wonder if in the future we will see Delta Sigma DACs relegated to the entry level.

 

Mojo is as good as it gets for a portable DAC/AMP....the unit is very small,it is easy to use....the DAC is 95% as good as the Hugo and the amp will drive most any headphone.....there are certainly better desktop home units but for travel this thing is an incredible buy and bargain......

 

My understanding is that the new series at Chord is well above the EX but that is based on what I have read and some reviewer conversations but I have not heard it directly.

As for the FPGA, I think the value is obviously in the skill and creativity of the designer. In the case of Robert Watts I think it is pretty clear that the conversion precision from the extra "taps" is a genuine advance in audio.

 

I added in a new Nordost Purple Flare data cable and got an improvement in sound quality. It's definitely breaking in over the past 12 hours.

 

Got to listen to the mojo with both the Audeze LCD-2s from Ham Sandwich and the EL-8s. Very nice match with both.

I'm really enjoying this device.

 

I'd read that it was possible to drive sensitive speakers direct from a Mojo. My KEF LS50s aren't particularly efficient, but I hooked them up anyway, just out of curiosity. I'm listening now and am very surprised. It's not loud enough to shake the floor, but much louder than I expected; certainly enough for late night or near field listening. Mojo owners will know how good this little gadget sounds through headphones and I think the results through speakers are just as impressive. Ear-splitting volumes are out of the question, obviously, but it the sound is sweet and controlled, with excellent imaging. Give it a try and report back - I'd love to know what others think.

 

Hello Chord Mojo owners,

do you ever upgrade the Mojo's software / firmware? is that a thing?

thanks!

 

I didn't know you could. I can't see anything about firmware on the Chord site. Anyone know any different?

 

Not sure either - quite possible that there are no firmware updates. Just thought I'd check.

 

Glad this got bumped.

I recently got my first pair of "real" headphones. Purchased the Audeze Sine. I was planning to get a headphone app for my main set up so I could listen to music in the evening when the wife/kids are asleep.

Long story short, I ended up trading my Wyred Dac2 for a Woo Audio WA6se.

I now want to replace the Wyred with a new Dac. Originally I wanted to get a Chord Hugo or possibly the Chord 2qute.

After reading quite a bit, I'm thinking of getting the Mojo. I know it is meant primarily as a mobile dac/amp, but it sounds like it can/could perform as a desktop amp as well. I like the thought of being able to pull it out of the main system when I head to work or if I'm in the back room listening to tunes off my macbook.

I know the Hugo is portable as well, but with a new kiddo on the way getting a Mojo at it's price tag is very tempting.

All that said, has anyone tried the Mojo in a main set up? I've read a lot about the Mojo and Hugo not being THAT sonically different. I'm also wondering if the Mojo will sound better than my Wyred. The Wyred was a solid dac, it just never really clicked for me.

Anyway. Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Yep, tried it, like it.
I think it totally works as a proper system DAC.
Did not test it against a range of desktop DACs tho... but it is deffo better than the DACbuilt into the McIntosh 7900 integrated.

 

How do you hook the Mojo into a system since it only has headphone outputs? what kind of cable is available or needed?

 

It's my understanding that the Mojo doesn't remember it's in desktop mode? That's killed it as an option for me

 

you need an 3.5mm to RCA cable...

Yes this is true but you can also just have it on maximum volume and leave it there. also does the trick and that is being remembered

 

Hold down both volume buttons, then press the power button. This switches the headphone socket to line output level. Connect to your amp with a standard 3.5mm stereo jack to RCA phono cable.
As mentioned by James in the post above, the Mojo forgets its line output setting when it's switched off, so you have to press and hold the volume buttons every time. This is a nuisance if you want it to use it as a permanent desktop DAC, but it was a deliberate choice on the part of Chord, because it's primarily for portable use. Better this minor annoyance than risk blasting your ears by accidently plugging headphones into a line output. Beware: the Mojo is LOUD; I've posted previously how well it drives loudspeakers!

 

Thank you for the reply. I am considering a replacement for my aging original DACMagic and you guy are making it sound like this would be at least a slight upgrade, plus being great in a headphone setup. I'm intrigued.

 

I went ahead and purchased one. Should be here tomorrow.

I'm planning to purchase one of these

https://www.amazon.com/Audioquest-3-5mm-Mini-Plug-to-2-RCA-Adapter-Hard/dp/B003VJX2F2

Going to leave the adapter plugged into my interconnects and then can just connect htat to the Mojo for desktop use.

Can't wait to see how this stacks up against the Wyred Dac2 I parted with.

 

Yep that should work. let us know what you make of it.

 

If using a full-size CD player as a transport, how do you connect what would normally be a SPDIF cable to the Mojo? As I don't think the Mojo can couple with the SPDIF's RCA termination.

And let's say you want to use the Mojo permanently as an outboard DAC in a traditional hi fi system, do you still need to periodically recharge the Mojo's battery?